This is a photo taken last week of one of my "girls" after approximately 60 days of heavy conditioning in preparation to being ridden this week. The journey begins!!!!!!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Charmer
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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11 comments:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1282333/Leopards-big-cats-ARE-loose-Britain--just-dont-tell-soul.html
Good looking pony mate.She reminds me of a Simeon Filly that made Australian champion.Looks good
Cheers
Glenn
Wade- She is absolutely gorgeous! Please post pics of her progress.
Jeannie
What a stunning animal!!!
For those of us who know next to nothing about horses, can you give us a little background on this horse, i.e. what breed, what type event this horse would be entered in, and what would be heavy conditioning consist of for this animal to compete? Thanks in advance for your reply.
Vincent/San Diego
Vincent,
This horse is a 3 year old Arabian filly, who will be schooled as a western pleasure horse, after a successful halter career. Arabian Western Pleasure horses are shown in a stock type saddle and a standard western type headstall with any standard western bit. Junior horses five years old and younger can be shown in hackamores or snaffle bits, as long as the horse has not been shown in any western event in a curb bit. The horse may wear boots or bandages only in Reining, working cow and cutting classes. The horses are shown at a flat footed, ground covering four beat walk. The jog is a two beat gait that is free, square, slow and easy. The lope is a true three beat gait that is smooth, slow, easy and straight on both leads. Open horses will also be asked to hand gallop. There should be a distinct difference between the lope and the hand gallop. In the Open division, the classes are judged on manners, performance, substance, quality and conformation. Junior horse classes are judged on substance, quality, performance and manners. Amateur and Junior exhibitor classes are judged on manners, performance, suitability of the horse to the rider, substance, quality and conformation.
Wade Burck
Vincent,
Vincent, the purpose of conditioning Charm is to strengthen her in preparation for carrying my fat ass in a balanced, cadenced, collected manner. A young horse spends it early life eating and running in an unbalanced uncoordinated manner. They gallop on the wrong lead, switch leads, trot with their heads up to the outside, etc. etc. and they have to be strengthened and developed like athletes to carry the weight of a rider on their back.
Each horse has a different metabolism and each conditioning program is geared toward that individuality. Charm is an animal that tends to get "tubby" or "piggy" on a small amount of food. When she gains weight it is in her throat and shoulder area. Her withers "mutten" or flatten out and get thick and not prominent, and she needs withers to carry a saddle properly, and the thick throat area will make it hard for her to breath when she is asked to break at the poll and collect.
Her conditioning program consisted initially of learning to wear a bit, and to carry a surcingle. After she was comfortable with the bit and surcingle, bitting ropes were attached teaching her to give her face to the left and to the right and to flex at the poll and come off the bit. After about two weeks she had learned to canter on the proper lead, and was then taught to walk, jog, and lope verbally in a balanced manner. Now the hard work starts and Charms program consisted of 25 min. of galloping and loping to the left with 2 min. of walking to fill up with air before reversing and starting it all over to the right. Because she has issues with her throat and withers, her neck is wrapped with two black heavy duty garbage bags. A neopreme throat sweat is put over the bags, a neopreme neck speat is put over that, and a neopreme neck/shoulder sweat with a jaw wrap is added over that. One garbage bag, one neck sweat and a two inch rubber saddle pad is put on her back, and held in place with the saddle, which has now replaced the surcingle. After her work out, when she is rolling with sweet, rolling foamy sweat, and additional throat sweat is added and she is tied up for an hour to "bake" or remove fatty areas with heat generated under the neopreme sweats. Because she is bitted up it has the additional effect of an "isometric" work out instead of just lunging free. After she has baked for an hour or so, she is given a bath and sponged off with a liniment wash, to relieve any soreness or muscle stiffness she may have. After she dries off a wool throat wrap is put on, which she wears at all times when she is not working to always keep her throat latch warm. Now that her 60 day program is finished I will spend the next few day's long lining her in only a single neck sweat so that she is not constrained and can bend left and bend right and flex at the poll in preparation for the day when she will carry the fat ass mentioned earlier. It is such an incredible journey watching something change and morph from a clumsy ill mannered adolescent to a fit balanced athlete.
Wade Burck.
Jeannie,
I will try, but it is hard to photograph yourself riding. If I was famous like Madame Col. there would be people there watching and taking pictures, but such is not always the case for me. I will see what I can do. I have two beauty's I am riding at the moment, a grey filly and a bay colt. I will see about having someone photograph them.
Wade
Wade one thing you forgot to mention about the Arabian western pleasure horses. After doing all this work invest about $12,000 in equipment and clothes so you don't look like the Thief of Baghdad trying to win a 50 cent ribbon.
Madame Col.
I had written some about the "show clothes" required but I can only publish a comment that has less then 4000 letters. I deleted what I had written about clothes and split the comment into two so it would post. LOL You are correct about the cost of "show clothes/tack/equiptment" though. It is outrageous. I have made arrangements with someone to show the horses, when finished, who has been "collecting" the necessary attire for years. I did write to the association and ask if a white leather "Elvis" jacket with 3 foot fringe and gold beads with buckaroo boots with Python trim would be accepted, and I got back a fast, curt, "Not on your life, Mr. Rhinestone Cowboy!!!!!"
Be safe,
Wade
Wade
Thanks for the reply and the detail. Unless your in the world of showing horses one would never know the detail and work that goes into the presentation of these animals.
I have additonal questions but there are alot of terms in your reply that are completely new to me, Im gonna look up the definitions and then follow up with the questions later.
thanks again
Vincent/San Diego
P.S. was looking at your facebook pictures and came upon the two of you and Michu in San Diego standing next to each other during the parade portion of a RBBB show.
I'm sure you've got one or two Michu stories, do you mind sharing a couple, would love to read them.
Lovely Wade. She's gorgeous! I may start to like Arabians one day =)
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